By: Mylan Nguyen
Happy New Year, Foodies!
We hope you are having a restful break and are enjoying the time off. After taking a breather, I thought of my first resolution; when welcoming 2021, what better way to celebrate than with dessert! I assume many of us have made resolutions to be healthier, but it is also important to indulge once in a while. So, ring in the new year unapologetically with the best cinnamon buns you'll ever eat!
I have been craving a warm and fluffy cinnamon roll and wanted to share this copycat Cinnabon recipe from Jo Cooks. The packaged ones are good, but the homemade ones really hit the spot (and in my opinion, are even better than Cinnabon!). See for yourself and try out this simple-to-follow recipe.
(Cinnabon Copycat Buns © Photos by Mylan)
Ingredients Dough
2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast or instant yeast (8-gram packet)
1 cup milk lukewarm (I used whole milk)
½ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup butter unsalted, softened, or margarine
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
Filling
1 cup brown sugar packed
3 tbsp cinnamon
⅓ cup butter unsalted, softened, or margarine
Cream cheese icing
6 tbsp butter unsalted, softened, or margarine
1 ½ cups powdered sugar also known as icing sugar, or confectioner's sugar
¼ cup cream cheese at room temperature
½ tsp vanilla extract
⅛ tsp salt
Instructions
For the rolls, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk with a tsp of sugar (you can take a tsp out of the 1/2 cup of sugar) in a large bowl. Let it sit for about 5 minutes. If the yeast is good, it will start to froth up.
To the bowl of your mixer add the sugar, butter or margarine, salt, eggs, and flour and mix until well incorporated.
Pour the milk/yeast mixture over the flour mixture and using the dough hook, mix well until well incorporated and the dough comes clean from the side of the bowl.
Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter.
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, until it is approximately 16 inches long by 12 inches wide. It should be approximately 1/4 inch in thickness.
Spread the 1/3 cup of butter evenly over the dough, then sprinkle with the sugar evenly over the surface of the dough.
Working carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge.
Cut the dough into 1 1/2 inch slices, and place in a lightly greased baking pan. You can also use floss to cut into slices, as seen in the video. Place the cut rolls in the prepared pan. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let them rise for another 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cooking time can vary greatly!
While the rolls are baking make the icing by mixing all the icing ingredients and beat well with an electric mixer until fluffy and smooth.
When the rolls are done, spread generously with icing.
Note:
The milk should be between 105-115 degrees F. Anything hotter is likely to kill the yeast, which means the cinnamon rolls will not rise.
Tag @WesternFoodies if you post it to your socials if you have the chance; we love to see you all thriving in 2021.
